Biofuels : an unfolding disaster
by Dr Andrew Boswell

This article is to be published in ECOS, the publication of the British Association of Nature Conservationists, December 2007

Full Article as PDF: Biofuels : an unfolding disaster


References

  1. See for example, 71% growth in predicted energy between 2003 and 2030, figures 8 and 10 in http://tinyurl.com/2wc8mq
  2. The flow of palm oil. Colombia- Belgium/Europe. A study from a human rights. Perspective, HREV/CBC, http://tinyurl.com/2b8t5f
  3. Massacres and paramilitary land seizures behind the biofuel revolution, Guardian, 5/06/07, http://tinyurl.com/3y8wjj
  4. Agrofuels - Towards a reality check in nine key areas - Biofuelwatch, Carbon Trade Watch/TNI, Corporate Europe Observatory, Econexus, Ecoropa,Grupo de Reflexión Rural, Munlochy Vigil, NOAH (Friends of the Earth Denmark), Rettet Den Regenwald and Watch Indonesia http://tinyurl.com/233x7n
  5. Stop the agrofuel craze!, GRAIN http://tinyurl.com/2hkkzp
  6. Agrofuels in Africa, The impacts on land, food and forests, African Biodiversity Network, July 2007, http://tinyurl.com/yoljmv
  7. Agrofuels: Fuelling or Fooling Europe?, Friends of the Earth Europe, October 2007, http://tinyurl.com/3archk
  8. Biofuelling Poverty, Why the EU Renewable-fuel targets may be disasterous for poor people, November 2007, Oxfam, http://tinyurl.com/3x8vyq
  9. Page 171, Stern Review, Chapter 7 Projecting the growth of greenhouse gas emissions http://tinyurl.com/2pvzdd
  10. Greenpeace, Protecting Papuan forests important to help avert climate catastrophe, August 2007, http://tinyurl.com/yp3qbk
  11. Malaysia calls for sustainable expansion of palm oil plantations, International Herald Tribune, 5/12/06, http://tinyurl.com/2trdr4
  12. Policy, practice, pride and prejudice, Review of legal, environmental and social practices of oil palm plantation companies of the Wilmar Group in Sambas District, West Kalimantan (Indonesia), July 2007 report by Milieudefensie, Lembaga Gemawan and Kontak Rakyat Borneo, http://tinyurl.com/ysop5j
  13. biofuelwatch alert - http://tinyurl.com/3x2n37
  14. Uganda's forests in the balance, World Birdwatch magazine, July 2007, http://tinyurl.com/335r5r
  15. eg at http://tinyurl.com/38jhqt
  16. Birdlife International, http://tinyurl.com/2qpqj4
  17. Uganda scraps plan to cut rainforest for palm oil, Reuters, http://tinyurl.com/2s9yeg
  18. How the palm oil industry is Cooking the Climate, Greenpeace, Nov 2007, http://tinyurl.com/2yhs36
  19. Various Press items on New Economics Foundation (NEF) "Up in Smoke? Asia and the Pacific," report, November 19th 2007, http://tinyurl.com/2dtl6u
  20. Peat CO2, Wetlands International http://tinyurl.com/3cqjhr
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  24. 'N2O release from agro-biofuel production negates global warming reduction by replacing fossil fuels', P.Crutzen et al, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, http://tinyurl.com/ywbft6
  25. Québec abandons ethanol, La Presse, 9th November 2007, http://tinyurl.com/2huzf7
  26. Letter from five senior scientists to the head of IPCC, Dr R K Pachauri, October 30th 2007, http://tinyurl.com/38r3ks
  27. Global food crisis looms as climate change and fuel shortages bite, John Vidal, Guardian, November 3rd 2007, http://tinyurl.com/2qa57n
  28. Crop Prospects and Food Situation, UN FAO, October 2007, http://tinyurl.com/253xlq
  29. Lester Brown in briefing before US Senate : Massive Diversion of U.S. Grain to Fuel, http://tinyurl.com/25dv3f
  30. UN rapporteur calls for biofuel moratorium, Swissinfo.ch, 11th October 2007, http://tinyurl.com/2ltgwd
  31. Biofuels may cause even more starvation, Jacqui McCarney, One World Column, http://tinyurl.com/27pql8
  32. Jean Ziegler, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, statement to UN, http://tinyurl.com/2zq3kk
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  34. Surging Wheat Prices Push Staple Products Out Of Reach Of Poor, UN Press Release http://tinyurl.com/2bbhdf
  35. EU to Use 18 Pct Cereals Crops by 2020 for Biofuel, Reuters News Service, http://tinyurl.com/yoe79e
  36. UK and EU Biofuels policy in scientific doubt, biofuelwatch Press Release, http://tinyurl.com/2lqa64
  37. EU cuts back on biofuel crop subsidies, Euractiv News, http://tinyurl.com/38j5ke
  38. Green Fuels Will Save the Earth - Or Not, Reuters News Agency, http://tinyurl.com/26wu7o
  39. Boon for birds to be set-aside, RSPB, http://tinyurl.com/392j7t
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  41. Research confirms extent of Europe's disappearing farmland birds, Birdlife International, http://tinyurl.com/2w5xdh
  42. Biofuel crops threaten Indigenous people , Biofuels News, http://tinyurl.com/2rxgv6
  43. Oil Palm and Other Commercial Tree Plantations, Monocropping: Impacts on Indigenous Peoples' Land Tenure and Resource Management Systems and Livelihoods., Victoria Tauli-Corpuz and Parshuram Tamang, http://tinyurl.com/2gha76
  44. Oxfam, 'Bio-fuelling Poverty - Why the EU renewable-fuel target may be disastrous for poor people' - http://tinyurl.com/3dhtah
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  48. Poor but defiant, thousands march on Delhi in fight for land rights, Guardian, 25/11/07 http://tinyurl.com/24cky2
  49. Seeds of hope, Guardian, June 2007, http://tinyurl.com/2skjum
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  51. 2007 Amazon fires among worst ever, October 2007, http://tinyurl.com/yttbvx
  52. Biofuels driving destruction of Brazilian cerrado, August 2007, http://tinyurl.com/25rq36
  53. Response to public consultation on carbon and sustainability reporting under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), biofuelwatch, Sept 2007, http://tinyurl.com/3ypt4w
  54. Conservative Party Press Release on RTFO debate, http://tinyurl.com/2h4ntq
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  56. Transcript of UK House of Commons Delegated Legislation Committee on the RTFO, 23rd October 2007, http://tinyurl.com/2hmvn6
  57. "Blessed Unrest", Paul Hawken, see http://www.blessedunrest.com
  58. 'Reduced Emissions From Deforestation': Can Carbon Trading Save Our Ecosystems?, Deepak Rughani and Almuth Ernsting, http://tinyurl.com/2o65wh
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  62. For more on concentrated solar power, see TREC-UK, http://tinyurl.com/2h2o36
  63. Greens call for an end to Biofuels, UK Green Party Press Release, http://tinyurl.com/2pk6gx
  64. Open Letter to EU from 250 NGOs, http://tinyurl.com/2vgtke
  65. Declarations from the South, composite of declarations, biofuelwatch, http://tinyurl.com/2bn5mn
  66. EU Agrofuel Moratorium Call, http://tinyurl.com/2oagsm